A2 Idiom Neutral

눈을 피하다

nun-eul pihada

Avoid eye contact

Phrase in 30 Seconds

Avoiding someone's gaze because you feel awkward, shy, or guilty about something.

  • Means: To deliberately look away to avoid direct eye contact.
  • Used in: Awkward social encounters, when lying, or when feeling shy.
  • Don't confuse: With just being distracted; this is a conscious choice.
😳 + 👀 + ↪️ = 🙈 (Awkwardness + Eyes + Turning = Avoiding contact)

Explanation at your level:

This phrase means 'to not look at someone's eyes.' You use it when you are very shy or when you did something bad. For example, if you break a glass, you look at the floor. You avoid the eyes.
눈을 피하다 is an idiom used when someone is embarrassed or guilty. Instead of looking at the person they are talking to, they look away. It is common in stories when a character is lying or has a secret crush.
This expression describes the act of deliberately averting one's gaze. It's often used in social contexts to indicate that someone is uncomfortable. Whether it's due to a guilty conscience or social anxiety, '눈을 피하다' highlights the psychological state of the person through their body language.
In Korean interpersonal communication, '눈을 피하다' serves as a significant non-verbal cue. It typically suggests an evasion of responsibility or an emotional overwhelm. While direct eye contact can be seen as confrontational in certain traditional contexts, avoiding it in a modern setting often implies that the speaker is hiding their true intentions or feelings.
This idiomatic expression encapsulates the nuances of Korean social hierarchy and the concept of 'Che-myeon' (face). To 'avoid the eyes' is to withdraw from a social confrontation or to manifest an internal sense of shame. Linguistically, it functions as a transitive construction where the 'eyes' represent the point of emotional and social connection that the subject is attempting to sever.
The phrase '눈을 피하다' operates within a high-context linguistic framework, where the subtext of gaze-avoidance conveys more than the spoken word. It reflects a psychological defense mechanism—an attempt to maintain one's 'inner sanctuary' when faced with external scrutiny. Mastery involves recognizing the subtle distinction between 'respectful lowering of the gaze' and the 'guilty evasion' denoted by this specific idiom.

Significado

To deliberately look away from someone's eyes, often due to shyness or guilt.

🌍

Contexto cultural

In traditional Korean etiquette, looking an elder directly in the eye while being scolded is seen as '대들다' (challenging/talking back). Thus, '눈을 피하다' can be a protective social behavior. In many Western cultures, '눈을 피하다' is seen as a sign of dishonesty or lack of confidence. 'Look me in the eye' is a common demand for honesty. Similar to Korea, avoiding direct eye contact is often a way to maintain 'Wa' (harmony) and avoid confrontation. In some Middle Eastern cultures, avoiding eye contact between opposite genders is a sign of modesty and religious respect.

💡

Body Language

When using this phrase, slightly tilting your head down adds to the realism of the expression.

⚠️

Don't over-use in business

While polite in some contexts, avoiding eyes in a Korean job interview can make you look untrustworthy.

Significado

To deliberately look away from someone's eyes, often due to shyness or guilt.

💡

Body Language

When using this phrase, slightly tilting your head down adds to the realism of the expression.

⚠️

Don't over-use in business

While polite in some contexts, avoiding eyes in a Korean job interview can make you look untrustworthy.

🎯

Use with '자꾸'

Adding '자꾸' (repeatedly) makes the sentence sound much more natural when describing someone's nervous behavior.

Ponte a prueba

Fill in the blank with the correct form of '눈을 피하다'.

거짓말을 하는 아이가 엄마의 ______.

✓ ¡Correcto! ✗ No del todo. Respuesta correcta: 눈을 피해요

The child is lying, so they avoid the mother's eyes.

Which situation best describes '눈을 피하다'?

When would you use this phrase?

✓ ¡Correcto! ✗ No del todo. Respuesta correcta: When you are too shy to look at your crush.

Shyness is a primary reason for avoiding eye contact.

Complete the dialogue.

가: 왜 내 말을 안 듣고 바닥만 봐? 나: 미안해, 너무 ______.

✓ ¡Correcto! ✗ No del todo. Respuesta correcta: 죄송해서 눈을 피하게 돼

The person is looking at the floor because they feel sorry (죄송해서).

🎉 Puntuación: /3

Ayudas visuales

Preguntas frecuentes

5 preguntas

Not always! It can be a sign of innocent shyness or romantic fluttering.

Yes, it's very common to say a dog '눈을 피하다' when it knows it did something wrong.

The most direct opposite is '눈을 맞추다' (to make eye contact).

'시선' is more formal/literary. '눈' is more common in daily speech.

No, that is grammatically incorrect. Always use '피하다'.

Frases relacionadas

🔄

시선을 피하다

synonym

To avoid one's gaze

🔗

눈을 맞추다

contrast

To make eye contact

🔗

눈을 깔다

specialized form

To look down (submissively or aggressively)

🔗

눈길을 돌리다

similar

To turn one's eyes away

🔗

낯을 가리다

builds on

To be shy with strangers

Dónde usarla

🤥

Lying to a friend

지수: 너 내 케이크 먹었지?

민호: (눈을 피하며) 아니, 안 먹었어... 진짜야.

informal
💕

Meeting a crush

수지: 안녕, 오늘 날씨 좋다!

현우: (부끄러워서 눈을 피하며) 응, 그러게...

informal
💼

Job Interview

면접관: 본인의 단점은 무엇입니까?

지원자: (당황해서 눈을 피하며) 어... 제 단점은...

formal
💔

Seeing an ex-partner

옛 여친: 오랜만이네. 잘 지냈어?

나: (어색해서 눈을 피하며) 어, 그냥 그렇지 뭐.

neutral
😠

Being scolded by a boss

부장님: 이 보고서가 이게 뭡니까!

김 대리: (죄송해서 눈을 피하며) 죄송합니다. 다시 하겠습니다.

formal
🙏

Asking for a favor

친구: 나 돈 좀 빌려줄 수 있어?

나: (미안해서 눈을 피하며) 미안, 나도 요즘 좀 힘들어.

informal

Memorize It

Mnemonic

Think of 'Pee-hada' (피하다) as 'Peeing' in public—you'd definitely want to avoid everyone's eyes if that happened!

Visual Association

Imagine a small puppy that chewed up a sofa. When the owner points at the mess, the puppy looks at the ceiling or the wall, anywhere but the owner's eyes.

Rhyme

눈을 피하면 (If you avoid eyes), 마음이 들켜요 (Your heart is caught).

Story

Min-su stole a cookie from the jar. When his mom asked, 'Who ate it?', Min-su started looking at his toes. He was '눈을 피하다'-ing because the cookie crumbs were still on his chin.

Word Web

눈 (Eye)피하다 (Avoid)시선 (Gaze)부끄럽다 (Shy)미안하다 (Sorry)거짓말 (Lie)어색하다 (Awkward)마주치다 (To meet/encounter)

Desafío

Next time you watch a K-drama, try to spot a scene where a character avoids eye contact. Shout '눈을 피했다!' as soon as you see it.

In Other Languages

Spanish high

Esquivar la mirada

Spanish often uses 'mirada' (gaze) while Korean uses '눈' (eyes).

French moderate

Détourner le regard

French feels slightly more formal than the basic Korean '눈을 피하다'.

German high

Den Blick vermeiden

German can also use 'ausweichen' (to evade), which is even closer to '피하다'.

Japanese high

目を逸らす (Me o sorasu)

The verb 'sorasu' specifically means to turn something away from its course.

Arabic high

تجنب نظرات العين (Tajanub nazarat al-ayn)

In some Arabic contexts, it is strictly a sign of respect/modesty rather than guilt.

Chinese high

避开目光 (Bìkāi mùguāng)

Chinese often uses '目光' (light of eyes) which is more poetic than just '눈'.

English high

To avoid eye contact

English is more clinical/descriptive, while the Korean phrase feels more like a common daily idiom.

Portuguese moderate

Desviar o olhar

Commonly used in romantic or guilty contexts, just like in Korean.

Easily Confused

눈을 피하다 vs 눈을 감다

Both involve not seeing, but '감다' is just closing eyelids.

Use '감다' for sleep or blinking; use '피하다' for social awkwardness.

눈을 피하다 vs 눈을 돌리다

Very similar, but '돌리다' can also mean 'to change interest' to something else.

Use '피하다' when you are specifically running away from a gaze.

Preguntas frecuentes (5)

Not always! It can be a sign of innocent shyness or romantic fluttering.

Yes, it's very common to say a dog '눈을 피하다' when it knows it did something wrong.

The most direct opposite is '눈을 맞추다' (to make eye contact).

'시선' is more formal/literary. '눈' is more common in daily speech.

No, that is grammatically incorrect. Always use '피하다'.

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